57 articles from 24 sources. Only labels with confidence ≥ 0.6 are counted; quotes are the evidence.
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„Congress has so far done little to rein in the AI industry”
The Guardian ↗„The 119th Congress ends with a whimper, not a bang”
Courthouse News ↗„Congress must repeal 1992 law hindering growth in the South Caucasus”
The Hill ↗
Bernie Sanders is asking Congress to act fast on the dangers of A.I. ... introducing a bill that would ban artificial superintelligence. The Senator from Vermont and Rep. Greg Casar are unveiling legislation today that would create a new federal…
TMZ•TMZ Staff16m ago
Congress has so far done little to rein in the AI industry even as some of its most prominent leaders warn about potentially catastrophic risks Sign up for US Breaking News emails The Trump administration is refusing to work with the newly appointed deputy head of the United Nations refugee agency, Reuters reported. Tressa Rae Finerty, an American who took up the role of deputy high commissioner at UNHCR earlier this month, has taken leave as she seeks a waiver from the US government that would allow her to carry out aspects of her duties, according to seven diplomatic sources. Speaking at the UN general assembly, Donald Trump re-issued his threat to “annihilate” Iran and “drive them into Hell” if the regime didn’t capitulate and make a deal.” He also said he was “working closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine ” to end the disastrous war, defended his administration’s actions in Latin America – including the midnight raid to arrest former Venezuelan president Nicólas Maduro , defended his drone strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, accused Mexico of being effectively controlled by the cartels, and said it was “unacceptable” for the US to share a border with a nation under such conditions, pointed to regime change in Cuba and said he would reject any calls for a “globalist scheme” to control artificial intelligence. Shortly after his UN address, Trump signed a Greenland deal, which Greenland’s prime minister Jens-Frederick Nielsen said “underlines the importance of the Nato alliance.” In tricky, carefully worded paragraphs, she said the agreement “recognises the US defining historical and ongoing contributions to the security and defence of Greenland,” but it also “respects the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as Greenland’s right to self-determination.” Trump told a CNN reporter at the UN general assembly on Tuesday that he was “surprised” the outlet was covering him, saying it ‘shouldn’t be here’ after he banned the network alongside Politico and MS Now from the White House on Friday. At a joint press conference on Tuesday, vice-president JD Vance and Mehmet Oz , administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, announced that the federal government was removing 760,000 enrollees from Affordable Care Act insurance marketplaces. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Tom Ambrose2h ago
Iran war, rising prices and president’s low ratings give Democrats advantage, but Republicans have poured cash into key races – could it be decisive? Donald Trump pulled out all the stops at the Republican party’s midterm convention two weeks ago. In speeches aimed at the voters who will soon decide whether to keep Republicans in control of Congress for the final phase of his presidency, the president dangled $5,000 checks , and warned the United States would turn into a “communist country” if Democrats are elected. The unprecedented political gathering amounted to a hail-mary pass at retaining control of Congress, which history indicated Trump’s Republican allies had always been likely to lose in the 3 November vote. Two weeks later, with election administrators in several states already sending out mail ballots, there is no indication the gambit has worked. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Chris Stein in Washington3h ago
While Senate offices have access to chatbots like ChatGPT, they are not authorized to use any of the more advanced tools that are at the center of regulatory talks and public debate about AI safety.
NPR•Eric McDaniel4h ago
Rep. Nancy Pelosi will retire following the 2026 midterm elections, ending her almost 40-year career in Congress, but leaving a lasting influence on U.S. politics.
NPR•Scott Shafer5h ago
Hunter Biden, former President Biden’s son, on Tuesday responded to a request from a GOP senator for both himself and President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr. to testify before Congress. “Sen. Curtis of Utah has suggested that Don Jr. and I should testify before Congress,” the younger Biden said in a post on the social…
The Hill•Tara Suter15h ago
A new lawsuit is challenging how the Trump administration plans to exempt medically frail people from Medicaid work requirements. Medicaid enrollees, alongside several major health care advocacy organizations and the city of Columbus, Ohio, said the administration’s final rule implementing work requirements is not what Congress intended. They argue the rule narrowly defines who qualifies…
The Hill•Nathaniel Weixel16h agoSEATTLE — A federal court in Washington dismissed the federal government’s lawsuit attempting to force the Washington secretary of state to provide an unredacted statewide voter registration list. The federal government says the secretary’s refusal to provide the records violates Title III of the Civil Rights Act, but the list is not subject to demand under that law because Congress did not intend for it to cover all documents in a state’s possession. The list at issue is constantly updated with new information, and the federal government did not adequately explain the retention and preservation requirements of the applicable statute could apply to such a list.
LOCAL INPUT: Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing fresh backlash over sidelining key stakeholders from talks about developing thousands of housing units on top of a Queens rail yard. The Sunnyside Yard project landed back in the headlines yesterday when Mamdani and President Donald Trump emerged from a chummy meeting at Gracie Mansion to announce they’d agreed to bring conversations about the long-stalled housing plan to “a new level.” The unlikely duo first announced at a White House meeting in February they were looking into reviving the project, which would be contingent on billions of dollars in federal funding and involve constructing a platform over the rail yard, on top of which 12,000 housing units would be built. But Council member Julie Won — who represents Sunnyside and voiced concerns in February about not being included in the talks — said today she continues to be troubled by the fact that the mayor and the president aren’t consulting her or other local community voices. “Since the last discussion on Sunnyside Yard months ago between the mayor and president there is no funding from Congress nor any public meetings to move this project forward,” Won said in a statement. “There is no federal, state, or city bill allocating funding for this project. There is still no timeline. Congress would have to fund it, and the State and City Legislature would have to approve it. Our neighbors in Sunnyside yet again were not part of yesterday's conversation, and there still has been no meaningful engagement with the public.” Farah Salam, Won’s chief of staff, said City Hall’s continued lack of engagement with her office flies in the face of a commitment Mamdani’s team made in February. Salam recounted how, in a meeting with Won’s team at the time, Mamdani aides told the Council member’s staff they would keep them in the loop on any Sunnyside Yard-related updates. Nonetheless, Salam told Playbook that Won and her team haven’t heard a peep from Mamdani’s administration since then, and she added that Won only learned of the latest twist from watching Mamdani’s post-meeting press conference with Trump yesterday. A Mamdani spokesperson declined to respond to Salam’s comments. Won is a member of the Council’s Progressive Caucus, which has generally been supportive of the mayor, lending more weight to her Sunnyside-related rebuke. Still, she may have some political sour grapes with the mayor, given that she campaigned unsuccessfully this summer for Congress in a race that was ultimately won by Mamdani-endorsed Assemblymember Claire Valdez. Won isn’t the only local politician concerned by Mamdani’s Sunnyside dealings with Trump, though. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards told Playbook it would be more fruitful for Mamdani to focus on securing federal funding from Trump for housing developments where shovels can hit the ground on a short timeframe. Inevitably, Sunnyside Yard would need to go through years-long review and permitting processes before construction could begin, and Richards argued Jamaica and Long Island City are better suited for immediate, federally-backed projects, given that both areas recently underwent neighborhood-wide rezonings. “I’m not saying give up on Sunnyside Yard, but let’s first move somewhere where we can actually get shovels in the ground now,” he said. “We are in a housing emergency.” Richards also said he’s skeptical Trump will actually make good on his Sunnyside musings. “I have trepidations about how fast the Trump administration is going to move on this — forgive me if I have my trepidations about them,” he said. “Anything you deal with the Trump administration on has to be show and tell, and I don’t have much confidence even with the president's remarks yesterday.” When asked about the comments from Won and Richards at a press conference today, Mamdani avoided any direct response. Instead he simply reiterated the merits of the project, which he said would include a significant share of affordable housing. “I will do everything in my power to build more housing in this city,” Mamdani said. “And working with the president to fulfill an idea that has existed for 50 to 60 years — that to me is clearly an example of what could be done.” It remains to be seen how much Trump and Mamdani can actually get done on the Sunnyside project. Though they said yesterday their respective housing policy teams are initiating technical talks about the project, there are no funding commitments on the table, and local community concerns remain. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan in 2015 to build housing on top of Sunnyside Yard, but that iteration of the project never went anywhere because of the COVID pandemic and local pushback. — Chris Sommerfeldt and Joe Anuta From the Capitol IT GUY GONE: The top official at the state’s Office of Information Technology Services was removed this week by Gov. Kathy Hochul after she lost confidence in him, her administration said today. ITS Director Dru Rai held the job since September 2023, and his removal was effective immediately. Jenson Jacob will take over the role in an acting capacity. The office manages the state's information technology, data centers and hardware infrastructure while providing digital services for state agencies and local governments. “The administration has informed Dru Rai that the Governor no longer has confidence in his ability to effectively represent this administration and he was removed from his position as head of ITS," a Hochul spokesperson said in a statement. "Jenson Jacob has been named Acting Director of ITS. Governor Hochul remains committed to holding employees to the highest leadership and ethical standards, and ITS will continue to deliver technology solutions and services for New Yorkers, our agencies and partners.” Read more from POLITICO Pro’s Nick Reisman. BLAKEMAN BRUSHES OFF GRACIE GATHERING: Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman is downplaying the significance of Trump’s cordial Monday meeting with the mayor. “Not at all,” he said when asked if Trump’s visit undercut Blakeman’s focus on Mamdani’s radicalism. “The president is a government official. He’s the highest government official in the United States. And the mayor’s a government official, so I expect that the two of them would talk.” Blakeman has attacked the mayor he refers to as “Commie Mamdani” while campaigning in every corner of the state. Would he similarly meet with Mamdani? “Depends what he was serving for lunch,” he said. The Nassau County executive was in Albany today to receive the NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association’s endorsement. Prison guards have had an icy relationship with the state in recent years, due to Cuomo-era limits on solitary confinement and Hochul’s strict crackdown on guards who engaged in an illegal strike last year. It’s the first time NYSCOPBA has endorsed a gubernatorial candidate. “Kathy Hochul, I want you to think about that: 95 percent of your employees voted to endorse me, a democratic vote,” Blakeman said. “What does that say about your leadership? You should be embarrassed that 95 percent of your workers didn’t think highly enough of you to endorse you.” — Bill Mahoney FROM CITY HALL LEFT ON READ: City Council members — including the mayor’s allies — laced into Mamdani’s administration today at a Council hearing on the use of influencers in city government communications. The central focus of their displeasure? Team Mamdani declined to send any representatives from the appropriate agencies to testify. The oversight hearing comes on the heels of news that programs run by city agencies paid influencers to promote city policies. The hearing’s stated purpose: to begin to establish guidelines for how city officials communicate with influencers and disclose such communications. Emilia Rowland, the mayor’s director of new media, skipped the hearing, despite being invited to testify. Earlier this month, a working paper from the Columbia University Initiative for Policy Dialogue reported that Rowland oversees a Signal group chat with more than 200 hand-picked influencers. In her place, the mayor’s office sent Tascha Van Auken, commissioner of the mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement, and Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz, commissioner for the Department of Records and Information Services — neither of whom had much to offer on the administration’s use of influencers. While pressing the two during their testimony, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams expressed disappointment that the communications officials who “should be here are not.” “I don't know that anything was done wrong, but there were questions that were raised by this article that I believe the public should hear answers to, so that they can feel sure that nothing wrong occurred,” Williams said. “The fact that the correct folks aren't here doesn't really help that story.” Williams, a progressive Democrat, found himself in agreement with Council Minority Leader David Carr, the Republican who sponsored legislation that would require explicit disclosures on city-funded or directed influencer communications. Carr pressed Van Auken and Smith-Cruz on specifics about the relationship between City Hall and third-party influencers — such as the number of influencers the administration has worked with, how much has been spent on the social media campaigns, how budgets are determined and how influencers are selected. Van Auken and Smith-Cruz acknowledged they didn’t have fulsome answers to any of Carr’s questions, in stark contrast with the mayor’s characterization of the situation earlier today. “I am confident in the testimony that our administration is providing today, that it will be sufficient in answering the council's questions,” Mamdani told reporters this morning. Taiwan Green, a Queens-based influencer with more than 50,000 followers, testified he was contacted a year ago by then-candidate Mamdani’s social media team. He said he’s never been offered pay for any content about the administration, though, and that he was never directed as to how to message his videos. “I believe it’s my responsibility to sacrifice my time and my resources to educate myself and my followers on the political process,” said Green, who goes by the handle @mrfingaz. “Traditional press may not have the time to ask questions that are related to southeast Queens, but I will use this opportunity to do just that.” Green left abruptly after about 90 seconds of testimony and didn’t take questions from council members. It wasn’t the first time relevant officials from the mayor’s office skipped a Council oversight meeting. Last month, lawmakers slammed Mamdani’s administration for opting out of a hearing on the city’s controversial pied-à-terre tax rollout. At that hearing, Council Members Gale Brewer and Linda Lee read out 11 pages of questions to a row of empty chairs. — Molly Reinmann SO MANY GAVELS: The city’s Conflicts of Interest Board fined Council member Mercedes Narcisse $2,500 for filming a reelection campaign video inside City Hall. In one portion of the video, Narcisse is sitting in the Council chambers at the speaker’s chair, where she strikes a gavel. In another, she sits behind her nameplate in a separate committee room and … also strikes a gavel. Narcisse is then filmed speaking (though not striking a gavel) at an official Council podium. Because these areas of City Hall are off limits to the public, the board found Narcisee was using her government perch for personal gain. In a settlement agreement, the Brooklyn lawmaker said she did not intend to break the rules, but admitted wrongdoing. — Joe Anuta FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL AOC IN BUF: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is planning to hit Buffalo Thursday to meet with Mayor Sean Ryan and host an organizing training aimed at inactive voters. The trip comes amid speculation about whether she’ll run for the White House or Senate in 2028. In comments to The New York Times published on Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez said she’s thinking about how her identity will factor into the campaign she chooses to mount. “There’s an argument that some make that this is a very unique political window and, oftentimes in politics, you do only get one shot,” she told the Times. “And you don’t — and just in life in general — life doesn’t wait for you to be ready for things. Sometimes life just makes things ready for you.” The Buffalo trip is part of an upstate swing that is also set to include Syracuse and Ithaca, the Times reported last week . Ocasio-Cortez has been leaning into the curiosity surrounding her next political endeavor — but said she’s keeping her focus on the midterms as she stumps across the country boosting candidates. — Madison Fernandez TAKING THE STAGE: Candidates for governor, state attorney general and comptroller will debate next month. Spectrum News NY1 announced Tuesday that Hochul and Blakeman will debate on Oct. 13. Attorney General Letitia James will face off against GOP challenger Saritha Komatireddy on Oct. 8, and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Republican Joseph Hernandez will debate on Oct. 1. Each of the debates will air live at 7 p.m. Playbook previously reported that Hochul intended to debate Blakeman, even though she is not required to do so since her campaign declined to participate in the new public campaign finance system. — Madison Fernandez IN OTHER NEWS — ZO + BIBI: Mamdani doubled down on his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of his speech at the U.N. this week. ( CNN ) — SCHUMER ON AI: Sen. Chuck Schumer demanded Trump completely block China’s access to U.S. artificial intelligence technology ahead of the president’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping tomorrow. ( Punchbowl ) — MENIN + THE MET: City Council Speaker Julie Menin expanded on her condemnation of the Met Gala’s now-walked back decision to honor John Galliano, who has a history of racism and antisemitism. ( New York Magazine ) Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here .
(RNS) — Islamic Relief USA, a humanitarian organization with a $150 million annual budget, rebranded itself as the Islamic Development and Empowerment in America after members of Congress threatened to have its tax-exempt status revoked.
Religion News Service•Ulaa Kuziez, Bob Smietana17h ago
Cornyn hosted a fundraiser in Dallas for six GOP Senate candidates running in races this cycle that will decide control of Congress. Bush was listed as a "special guest."
ABC News17h ago
The Trump administration is planning to welcome up to 17,500 additional White Afrikaners from South Africa as refugees over the next 12 months, according to a notice sent to Congress.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris will join progressive Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on the campaign trail Tuesday afternoon, as Democrats seek to take control of Congress next year. Harris threw her support behind El-Sayed, a former health official who is running against former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Gary…
The Hill•The Hill Staff19h agoThe push for stricter sanctions on Russian oil could significantly alter global energy dynamics, impacting major economies like China and India.
CryptoBriefing•Editorial Team20h ago
Republicans hold a $103 million cash advantage across national party committees as the fight for control of Congress enters its final six weeks.
Nearly 100 organizations are calling on Congress to hold an "emergency hearing" in light of major student-loan repayment changes over the past months.
Congress sees through Trump’s ‘idiotic’ justification for fortifying every inch of Washington, D.C., but the president is pushing ahead with it anyway, writes John Bowden
Sen. John Curtis is calling on Congress to look into Trump Jr.’s foreign relationships, business dealings and financial benefits tied to his father
Republican Sen. John Curtis (Utah) has sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee asking them to investigate the President Trump’s and former President Joe Biden’s business dealings and to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden to testify before Congress. Curtis said that reports about foreign interests using Trump Jr. and Biden…
The Hill•Alexander Bolton22 Sept
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refuses to count four measles deaths in the state though doctors are ‘seeing new forms’ of disease The US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its measles dashboard on Friday – but it’s still not counting four measles deaths in Pennsylvania, where the outbreak appears to be accelerating and cases are appearing in ways providers have never seen before. Members of Congress on Monday requested an “immediate briefing” on the decision to change how measles deaths are reported as cases continue to rise throughout the United States, reaching levels not seen in decades. A possible measles exposure was reported in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia last week. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Melody Schreiber22 Sept
